Get ready for a much overdue rant from me about a business. The last blog rant I did about a company was extremely beneficial, as I got much publicity, which prompted the CEO of the Eastern division of Time Warner Cable to apologize to me on behalf of TWC. Cable is supposed to annoy folks, not spas, so the fact that I am compelled to take the time to write about a day spa (or in this case, a chain of them), Skin Sense, in the Raleigh, Durham, Cary area makes me sad and makes my tense muscles even more tense and sad : (
My first dealing with Skin Sense in the triangle area was last year when Poseidon and I decided we wanted to register with a day spa for our wedding. We chose Skin Sense to be that spa because they had multiple locations in the triangle area, and because they had an online wedding registry on their spa website. Their spa wedding registry wasn't so easy to figure out, and it wasn't working properly, which I let the manager/owner, or whatever the title, know that we were having problems with their spa registry. She was apologetic and said that Skin Sense is working on their site, they know they have issues, etc. So, I took Skin Sense at their word and we registered, sending the link to the spa registry site out to all of our friends and family, co-workers, etc.
Well, the Skin Sense website turned out to be a nightmare because we had multiple folks tell us they tried to buy us massages, facials, lovely, lovely spa treatments, but the site just wouldn't work. I emailed Skin Sense again letting them know how unhappy I was with their spa's website and I got no reply. Sadly, we asked our friends and relatives to forgo the painful experience of trying to use Skin Sense's website and to get us Amazon.com gift cards. We can't use them for massages or a nice reflexology treatment, but we can get other nifty stuff.
Fortunately, my coworkers did go in person to Skin Sense (as they were unable to use the spa's website) and purchased a gift card for Poseidon and I. We used that for a couples massage at the Skin Sense Brier Creek location in Raleigh. I have to say, it was the worst massage I've ever had. I think the massuse was quite possibly right out of massage school and Skin Sense of Brier Creek got him cheap.
Nearly a year later, which was last weekend, I decided I really needed a massage to help ease my sore back, and I was going to give Skin Sense of Brier Creek one more opportunity because they were close by. I showed up, and there was one girl working the desk at the spa at the time, and she was very slow, and had a line of people, which caused me to be almost 10 minutes late for my massage. I was able to remain calm and happy though, and Rose, my massuse, was wonderful, and she gave me one of the best massages I've ever had. I was so happy with the massage that I booked a Shiro Dhara treatment for Wednesday while I was checking out (with the same nimrod who checked me in). I thought, "OK, maybe the place has gone through their growing pains, and things are running smoothly now." Unfortunately, I was wrong.
Today is Wednesday. I raced to make my 6pm Shiro Dhara appointment at Skin Sense in Brier Creek, which is such a traffic jam of a place every day of the week. I thought it was odd that I didn't get a call from the spa yesterday to confirm my appointment for today, but I didn't dwell on that so much. I was so excited all day today because I knew this eveing that my third-eye was going to be nourished and my mind clutter would be erased with the Shiro Dhara treatment. I haven't looked forward to anything like this for such a long time.
When I checked in at the front desk of the spa, the gal was super nice and cool, but she was having trouble finding my Shiro Dhara appointment. She asked if I had called Skin Sense to make it, and I told her I had actually made the appointment in person last Saturday when I was at the spa for my massage. I immediately tensed because I've never had a smooth appointment at Skin Sense, but I was so sure it couldn't possibly happen a third time, poor naive little me. It did.
I told her it was with Rose if that helped, to which she replied, "Rose isn't even working tonight." OK, I was officially riled again with Skin Sense. The young woman took me aside and was sincerly sorry, and so apologetic. She said she didn't know what happened, but my appointment wasn't in the Skin Sense system, and she wanted to help. She said she could get me in for my Shiro Dhara treatment at 6:30 in the North Raleigh Skin Sense location.
I was livid (I AM livid, which is why I'm writing this now). I explained to her all of my issues with Skin Sense and that this was ridiculous. I thanked her for trying to accomodate me, but I no longer felt like giving Skin Sense the opportunity to win my business (which would have been hefty because I had intended on booking a massage with Rose each month to help with my shoulder issues). I told her I would find another spa in Raleigh for my treatments, probably the Natural Body Spa in North Hills in Raleigh because I go there for my eye brow wax treatments anyway, and they are so great and I've never had an issue.
She insisted that she would have the director of Skin Sense call me and that she was so very, very sorry. I believe her, but Skin Sense doesn't seem to be too concerned about customer complaints, based on my previous experiences with them. I'm all about giving small businesses a chance, even when they've messed up so many times. Of course, I haven't received a call from the director.
I actually needed to chill and relax so badly tonight, and was so looking forward to that Shiro Dhara experience, that I started to cry when I left the spa and got back into my car to fight the traffic home.
I'm sure some people will say I'm a whiny complainer, but I rarely do nice things for myself like going for a massage, so when I psych myself up to making a spa appointment, and I start looking forward to it, and I get let down, like I have with Skin Sense, well, I get upset.
If anyone in the Raleigh, Durham, Cary area can recommend a great day spa, especially if they do Shiro Dhara, I would love to hear about it! I can definitely tell you one to avoid. Good night all.
--Fortuitous Observer with an aching third-eye
